Direct inkjet printing onto a variety of substrates such as films, papers, and fabrics has been used to generate graphic images. However, for substrates that are either of poor dimensional stability (such as many fabrics), or that are too large to be handled using a conventional inkjet printer (for example, a wall of a room), indirect printing methods such as transfer printing methods are normally employed. Current inkjet transfer printing methods include printing onto fabrics that have adhesive backings adhering them to a release liner, or iron-on transfers.
Inkjet printing has been used to provide images on a wide variety of substrates including films, papers, fabrics, and the like. Commercially available inks for ink-jet printers are typically aqueous based and employ dyes as colorants. Current commercially available inks generally lack the simultaneous properties of good image quality (e.g., high resolution and color density) and waterfastness or washfastness when printed on any of the above-mentioned substrates. This is important if the image is transferred to a surface that will encounter water or be washed in normal usage (for example, clothing, room walls, etc.).
Whether inkjet printing is performed in an industrial process or on a printer attached to a personal computer, there exists a need to be able to print an image on a wide variety of substrates that have the simultaneous properties of good image quality and waterfastness or even washfastness.